Breakpoints frequently are utilized in processing devices to debug errors in programs of instructions. Hardware-based breakpoints typically are implemented by comparing an instruction address of an instruction being fetched for execution at a processing device to one or more specified address values or address masks. In the event of a match, a breakpoint request is initiated, thereby causing the processing device to suspend execution and allowing the current state of the processing device to be analyzed for software debugging purposes. However, processing devices can generate the same instruction address in many different ways, and a user may not want to initiate a breakpoint for every instance of an instruction fetch to a given instruction address. These undesired breakpoints complicate debugging by unnecessarily halting program execution and by generating extraneous information that requires additional effort to filter and remove. Accordingly, an improved technique for generating breakpoints at a processing device would be advantageous.
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